WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
With a towering frame over sixfeet
tall, Deputy Ralph Bryant
exudes a bigger-than-life, stoic
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serious you may wonder if this 26-year
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However, last January, Bryant, who
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Police Athletic League of Manatee County
(PAL) over a course of two decades and
now serves as the director of football,
not only beamed with contagious smiles,
but also cradled his face in his hands –
overwhelmed with tears and emotions
– the second he stepped onto PAL’s new
basketball court.
Roaring chants of “We love Coach Ralph”
echoed through the gym as the faces of
nearly every player Bryant has coached,
friends, family, and every MCSO deputy he
has ever served with lined the gym during
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Looking around he saw giant block, black
letters spelling out Coach Ralph Bryant
streaming across both ends of the court.
“He was overwhelmed and had to collect
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free throw,” said Deputy Francine Houston,
a former star PAL and pro basketball player
and now director of basketball for the very
same program. Keeping it a secret from
even Bryant’s closest circle, Houston
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for a man she has looked up to as a father
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This man, who has poured his heart into
growing PAL’s basketball program into
competitive, respected teams that now
travel the country, is known as an underthe
radar hero in his community, quietly
working magic each day to cut down the
weeds and obstacles that detour unguided
youth and pave a clear path of opportunity
for them.
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carts with food for needy families. He has
paid countless light bills and rent checks for
others. He’s bought basketball shoes and
paid health insurance for his players. In the
wee-hours of the night, he won’t hesitate
to answer a phone call from a kid who just
needs an ear to listen or sit patiently in a
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just witnessed domestic violence.
But he won’t tell you any of this. He won’t
reveal that everyone on the last female
basketball team he coached achieved
a college scholarship or that countless
Manatee County youth see him as a second
dad. He will only share in a humble, low-tone
voice that he’s just here for the kids.
“I just give them a place to go and some
discipline and some structure,” said Bryant,
proudly sporting a PAL 30th Anniversary
T-shirt and ball cap and checking his watch
to make sure he would make it out to cut
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give them structure and opportunity to see
things they otherwise wouldn’t see. We
travel a lot across the U.S. for basketball
tournaments and even take them on
college tours. We’ve been to Texas, New
York City – played in the Bronx - Atlanta,
Las Vegas, and more. Many of these kids
have never been outside of Bradenton.”
After four years serving on an MCSO
special task force, Bryant stepped in as a
basketball coach in 1997 for PAL, whose
mission is to bring law enforcement,
kids, and families together in a positive,
safe environment through sports and
academics in order to build a strong
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cheerleading, soccer, baseball, and boxing,
PAL employs athletics and recreational
activities to tighten the bond between
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message to avoid gangs, drugs, and
alcohol, and incorporating life skills.
15
Ralph Bryant: Deputy, Coach, Friend,
Father Figure and Mentor.